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"Yeah, I can’t see hi a problem" Michael paused

"Not Gabriel?"

Nick stared into his "

"We’re not fighting"

"Could’ve fooled ritted his teeth and looked away "I don’t want to talk about him"

"Are you afraid of how he’ll take it?"

"No Yes I don’t know"

Michael didn’t say anything for the longest ti of coffee, then set it back in the saucer

"I remember," Michael said, "when you were babies, Gabriel used to scream his fool head off All the tiht unless Moot so that any time he’d fuss, I’d just pick you up and put you next to him" His smile turned a little sad "I still re it She was fit to be tied

Michael! Do not pick up the babies! "

Nick held still It was rare that Michael would talk about Morew older and got your own beds, we’d always find you in there with hi Curled up on top of his covers, just sleeping next to him Mom used to say that you always knehen your brother needed you" He paused "I used to find you like that after they died"

Emotion balled up a fist and struck Nick square in the chest

He tried to breathe around it He re," he said, his voice husky "That hen I needed him"

"I don’t think so, Nick," Michael said quietly "If that were true, he’d know your secret"

Nick rolled that around in his head for a"And look, I can’t pretend to understand this twin thing you two have But I know Gabriel knows you

And right now, he knows you’re keeping so him up"

Nick wanted to scoff, but he couldn’t He felt it every time he was in the house

Too bad he was such a creepy freak, or he’d do so about it

"Do you thinkit out on his own?" Michael said "Or for not pushing you to tell him?"

Nick snapped his eyes up "No"

But he’d answered without thinking about it Now the thought was lodged in his brain and he couldn’t stop thinking about it

He could picture Gabriel right now Sitting with Layne, working through rades up so he could take the firefighter course in the spring

But he was thinking about Nick Nick could feel it

His cell phone chi do I have to leave you alone?

Nick turned the phone around to show Michael, who rolled his eyes and said, "See?"

Nick slid his fingers across the screen to respond

But then he changed his mind, deleted what he’d typed, and shoved the phone back in his pocket

He took a gulp of his rapidly cooling coffee "I don’t want to talk about hiht Another question then" Now Michael looked the slightest bit flustered "Is thereyou knowa guy in the picture?"

Nick couldn’t keep the blush fro why you told o to your school?"

"No"

Michael stopped with thehalfway to his mouth "Please tell slist"

Nick glared at him "No Jesus, Michael He’s nineteen He dances with Quinn"

"So all this ti with Quinn"

"I’ve been spending with Ada with Tyler"

"Whoa!" Michael’s eyebroay up "Noe’re building a new puzzle"

"Yeah, it’s fantastic"

"Can I revel in this first-to-know status and get the whole story?

Or do I have to drag that out of you during another dinner?"

"No," said Nick, feeling so like relief for the first ti"

Michael had always ood audience, and he kept hisit out, Nick hadn’t realized how s had been strapped to his back for weeks, and now someone had stabbed a hole in one of theht he’d otten in trouble with some bikers on the beach He talked about Adam’s audition, and Quinn’s role, and--hesitantly at first--about the first night at Adae to disgust, Nick gainedAdam’s past experience and Quinn’s home situation He talked about the way Tyler had burned her arm, how she’d called Nick to pick her up in the woods, and how he’d snuck her into the house because she didn’t want to go home

Michael was pissed about that "Nick, if your friends need help, you need to tell ht, remember?"

"That’s not the same and you know it Are you aware that when people dump their problems on you, you don’t actually have to solve them by yourself?"

Nick didn’t have an answer for that

Michael kept going "I’m actually more concerned with how you describe her ho time with Tyler"

Nick flinched "She won’t tellon at ho in the woods, it can’t be good"

Right now, after what she’d done, Nick didn’t really give a shit if Quinn was sleeping in the woods

No That wasn’t true He did care A lot

She sure didn’t o back to school Her fahed and ran a hand down his face "Will she talk to anyone? What about Becca?"

"She won’t speak to her because Becca never told her about the Eleot all pissed at me because I told her Tyler was a dickhead who’d just hurt her Now she’s avoiding everyone except Tyler" Nick’s voice turned thick with disgust "I think he was at school to pick her up She said she has a new ride to school"